Simple Things
by Darkfirelight
Summary: Season 8/9 interlude AU. Removing the complications of their lives and everything just seemed to... Fall into place.


Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.

Summary: Season 8/9 interlude AU. Removing the complications of their lives and everything just seemed to... Fall into place.

Written as a gift for LegendaryTobes. Happy (belated) birthday!

Author: **Darkfirelight.**

Pairing(s): Chlark.

Rating: NC-17.

Chloe smiled as she gazed up at him, a small hand rested on his arm. Blue met green and he begrudgingly returned the expression, leaning forward and capturing her lips in a kiss.

Behind them people cheered, beaming as the couple spun and stepped down the stairs.

The people were strangers for the most part and scant few of them even would have known their names were it not for the banner above their heads. In spite of this they grinned as they joined hands, quickly stepping down from the alter and setting off in a half-jog for the doors.

With a sudden movement he swept her up in his arms, her surprised yelp quickly followed by a burst of laughter filled with delight as he carefully pulled her into the sleek limo, rented as a gift by one of the few friends they could currently find; the smirking scientist standing among several strangers, eyes light as he stared after the two lovers departure.

It wasn't perfect; but for them it was more than enough.

* * *

**Three weeks ago**

* * *

Chloe paused in her typing, staring out of the stained glass window situated above.

The skyline of Metropolis shone through, blue and orange merging in a beautiful harmony of colour. With a sigh she turned back to the screen, tongue poking at her cheek as she closed the Metropolis general hospital window she had pulled up on the computer. Technically speaking what she was doing wasn't exactly legal, but...

Well, it wasn't legal no matter how you spun it; however she needed to cross some lines. She needed to find her cousin.

The blonde grimaced as she watched the slideshow flick through on her desktop screen. Pictures of her past flicking through before her.

She turned away before she could get lost in her memories, gaze unwittingly drifting back to the window.

With a reluctant sigh she shut down the computer and stood, making her way to the couch in the center of the room, conceding that as she felt right now she wasn't going to get much work done.

She leaned back and propped her feet up, mind running through the many things that had happened over the past months, going through different theories at a pace previously only matched by a certain AI.

A small tear of frustration ran down her cheek and she quickly wiped at it, grimacing as she felt a familiar salty sting in her eyes.

She flicked on her television and simply lay there, barely registering the sound of background noise. For several moments she gazed up at the ceiling, wondering when things had gotten so complicated.

_"-The origin point of the fire is unknown, however during the blaze there were thankfully few casualties. Among the list of wounded are Matthew Greyson, 31, Jonathan Robard, 22, Clark Kent, 23, Devli-" _Her head shot up, wide green eyes staring at the screen and, sure enough, a mug-shot of her estranged best friend lay in the center of the screen surrounded by the faces of several strangers.

"Clark?" She was barely aware that she had spoken his name, even as she watched information flash along the side of the screen, ignoring the irrelevant facts spoken by the newscaster.

_"The injured were quickly rushed to Metropolis general hospital; however no new information has made itself known as of this time."_

With a quick dash across the room she grabbed her coat, door slamming shut behind her as she sped down the hall, sparing only a second to grab her keys.

Metropolis general hospital wasn't overly busy when she arrived; it was only Tuesday mid-morning and the fire itself hadn't been massive, however she still saw worried families and a few reporters milling around the reception area. "Excuse me," She flagged down a nurse. "I'm looking for Clark Kent?"

Some of her worry must have shown in her voice as the woman gave her a sympathetic glance and checked her charts. "Room 210, straight down the hall and to the left- Excuse me!" She quickly murmured a thank you and took off down the hall, paying no mind to the nurse's parting call.

She slowed as she came to the door, hesitantly peeking through the blinds and glimpsing her friend for the first time in a week.

Clark lay there, face feverish and torso wrapped in bandages, a sling holding his arm in place. Aside from the obvious wounds and evidence of meteor rock poisoning he didn't look too bad. Nonetheless as she stepped into the room she grabbed at the chart at the end of the bad, scanning through it with worry.

Chloe released a breathe of relief as she read the doctor's notes, taking in the information that they had yet to take his blood. Apparently even with avoiding the doctor's as they did Martha Kent had had the foresight to ensure that no-one would examine him without his express permission.

She snorted lightly at the 'religious reasons' emblazoned across the bottom of the form, putting the chart back in place and looking back up at Clark.

He still hadn't woken, and despite the annoyance she felt at his abandonment of her she still felt a twinge of guilt at having to wake him up. Nonetheless she needed to move him before anyone sussed anything out about his injuries, or rather his soon-to-be lack thereof.

"Clark," She gently shook him, mindful not to exacerbate his injuries but still flinching as she noticed the minor marks across his lower chest. "Clark, come on. Wake up."

"Nn." He didn't move and she reluctantly prodded the slight blisters on his side, earning a jerk and a hiss of pain from the Kryptonian. "Chloe, wha..."

"Come on, Clark. I'm sorry about the rude wake-up call but we need to move." She pressed, pulling at his uninjured arm.

"Chloe!" He exclaimed, clearly now both awake and surprised at her presence. "What are you doing? Where am I?"

"You're at the hospital. You got hurt in a fire down town. I'm trying to get you to move so that they don't take any blood or DNA and discover something we _really _don't want them to. Got it? Good, because we need to go before they come and check the room."

Evidently her words were enough to jolt him from his half-asleep state as he stumbled to his feet, groaning and clutching at his bandages stomach. She warily noted the stain of red running down the left. "Chloe, listen. About-"

"Save it for later, Clark." She smiled sympathetically, rummaging through the small cabinet beside the bed and pulling out his coat and underwear. She eyed the torn fabric of his shirt and pants and wrote them off as a loss, tucking them under her arm anyway to ensure no-one got their hands on the liquid staining the black material. "Here, put these on."

He took the proffered coat and the boots beside the bed, dismally frowning at the bare skin of his ankles. She reluctantly handed over the ruined clothing. "This'll have to do for now."

He carefully edged into the threadbare clothing and slowly stepped forward, leaning against the petite blonde for support.

"Usually it's the other way around, huh?" She tried to crack a joke, earning a small chuckle that quickly turned into a moan of pain. She flinched at the sound and slowly opened the door, leading him down the hallway.

Back down the hallway she heard an orderly go into his room and slightly quickened her pace, making it to the door to the waiting room just as the startled man came running out of the room, thankfully unaware of Clark thanks to the trench coat.

She couldn't help the small nervous chuckle as she remembered old Saturday morning TV and terrible disguises.

They stepped through the waiting room, pushing open the doors and entering the daylight. She could tell the moment Clark stepped into the sunlight that he started feeling better, form standing just slightly taller, yet seeming all the stronger for it.

"Come on," She murmured fondly, helping him to her car. "I'll drive you home."

* * *

The drive to the farm was a silent one, though it wasn't as uncomfortable as she had feared it would be.

"Come on big guy." She grunted, hefting him up and pulling him towards the house. They stepped up the stairs and she noticed that his steps were already slightly less burdened. She gravitated towards the stairs for a moment and then decided better of it, manoeuvring him onto the couch in the living room. "Down we go. Steady." She slowly lowered the limping alien and released him when he was seated. "There we go."

"Thanks." He grunted, exhaling deeply as he leaned back. "Chloe, listen..."

"I'll go and get us something to drink." She stepped into the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge. "Lemonade or just water?" She called to him.

"Water's fine but seriously Chloe, we need to talk!" He called back.

A few seconds passed and the blonde slowly stepped into the room, two glasses of water in hand and a small frown on her face. "Then let's talk." She nodded.

Clark's eyes softened and he sighed, sitting up as straight as his injuries would allow. She looked over at him and noticed his awkward shifting, briefly realizing that as much as he had been in danger due to the meteor rocks before he probably hadn't really been injured many times before. A brief flashback of a younger Clark Kent being thrown into a car by another teen crossed her mind and she sighed.

"Chloe, I'm sorry." He started, shifting anxiously. "When I left I didn't want you to be hurt like you were, but... I had to."

"I know you did you idiot." Chloe shook her head in exasperation. "It's just like you to run away you your problems."

He flinched back at her words as though struck. "I wasn't running Chloe, I had to go. I wanted to stay and comfort you, and I wanted to see you all week. I just couldn't. My destiny-"

"Your 'destiny' comes first?" She sniped, and a surge of irritation made its way through her. Hot like fire, burning at her veins. "Right, because we all got in the way, right?"

"..." Clark didn't respond, turning away silently.

"Well if I hadn't been around your ass might be on a lab table right now, Clark!" She continued. "If I hadn't masked your calls to Lois then you might be in trouble right now, if I hadn't grabbed you from the hospital? How about years back when you lost your powers? How about last year? Or would you have just let Oliver die of poison?"

"I didn't... Chloe, I can't save everyone. I know that, but if I have to worry about saving you and everyone else while I'm doing it-"

"Is that why you quit the Planet? Or is it because Lois is gone?" His sudden silence spoke volumes. "Christ, Clark. We're your friends. I know that things went to hell but I needed you there, I _needed _you. We could have worked things out. We could have looked for the others together, made things better _somehow. _Punching all of your problems doesn't make them go away. " She swallowed deeply, clenching her fists to try and stop their shaking. Her nails dug into her palms so hard she swore she should have drawn blood. "We-"

Clark awkwardly pulled her into an embrace, an arm wrapped around her shoulders as she stood there. She didn't even realize she was crying until she noticed the darker spots on his coat.

She pulled away from his grasp and hiccupped into her hands, quickly wiping away her tears. "We- we should get you back out of that coat."

He reluctantly stepped back from her, allowing nimble fingers to pull at the thick material.

She draped the coat over the back of the couch and watched as he lowered himself back into the seat. "...Clark, listen. I think..." She hesitated.

Clark closed his eyes. "Chloe, you're right."

She blinked and continued to stare at him.

"I was scared and selfish and I ran away at the first sign of trouble. I wanted to be happy and when things got difficult I bolted. I'm sorry."

Abruptly she felt as though a weight had been taken from her shoulders and her lips quirked into a smile. "It's fine, Clark. I forgive you."

He stared at her and a small smile slid into place, a mirror of her own.

The two sat in silence for a while, basking in the openness and her eyes slowly drifted over to the fireplace. "I'll light up the fire, you just stay here." She spoke, chuckling when his eyes narrowed on the small alcove and he slumped in defeat. "It's okay, Clark. You'll get those powers back soon enough, I'm sure."

She left the room to grab some wood from the farm and by the time she got back he was fast asleep.

* * *

Her eyes slowly drifted open, brain foggy as she tried to wake up properly. The sun drifted across her face and the blonde moaned and covered her face with a hand, tempted to swap at the light despite knowing that it would achieve nothing.

Sun kissed locks were swept from her face as she slowly sat up, awareness returning and with it, recognition.

She searched the room for a certain Kansas-grown alien and panicked when she couldn't find him. "Clark!?" She stood, turning into the kitchen just as he came running.

The door was nearly knocked from its hinges as he sprinted into the room, alarm written in his features. "What's wrong? Chloe?" He scanned the room with his eyes and turned his gaze back to the petite blonde, taking in her slowly dissipating dread.

She collapsed onto one of the kitchen chairs, covering her red face with an arm and waving him off. "Nothing. Sorry, just... Had a bad dream."

He blinked and shrugged nonchalantly. "Wanna talk about it?" He queried in concern.

Chloe pursed her lips behind her arm, realizing that he had probably assumed the wrong thing and slowly shook her head. "It's nothing like that Clark, I just thought you'd run off while you were still messed up." She looked up and smiled half-heartedly at him. "Kinda stupid, huh?"

He returned the smile and shook his head in response. "No, I get it. I've done some pretty stupid things in the past." His blue eyes twinkled brightly in the morning light and she felt the warmth cross her cheeks.

"So, what were you up to anyway?" She turned back to him, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Farm work. Feeding Shelby." He said awkwardly. "Chores."

The blonde chuckled at his stance, quieting when she noticed something she hadn't earlier. "Your arm's better." She noted in surprise.

"Yeah." He grinned. "I still haven't fully healed or got all my powers back, but they're on their way."

"And..." She paused, eyebrows rising almost into her hairline. "You're wearing an old shirt."

For some reason it was more surprising seeing him in simple jeans and a blue shirt than it was seeing him recovering so quickly. "Yeah." He stared at her for a moment and looked out the window. "I got rid of the coat."

Her gaze shot up from the shirt to his face. "Oh. Decided you didn't want to go around in dead animal skin anymore?" She tried to laugh off.

"It was vegan leather."

At that she really did laugh. "Only you, Clark." She chuckled.

He grinned and she felt her heart skip a beat, smile widening as he blushed, turning to gaze at the bright sky.

She felt a tug and suddenly became aware of her hair, lightly curled around her index finger. She froze, staring over at him and numbly lowering her hand. _Oh no._

"Chloe?" She started, locking gazes with Clark. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She waved off his concern. "I've gotta go into town and grab something."

"Coffee?" He grinned, and she blinked back tears at the familiarity of the scene.

"Y-Yeah." She nodded affirmative. "You know me too well, huh?"

His grin softened and he gave her a look filled with something she couldn't quite place. "I'd like to think so."

She swallowed at the words, feeling a flutter run through her stomach.

"I could take you there?" He offered.

"No, no. I-" She heaved in a deep breath and frowned. "Clark... What is this?"

He gave her a confused look. "What do you mean?" Despite his words she could see the dread in his stare and wondered if it was echoed in her own.

"I mean..." She trailed off and tried to gather her thoughts. "I mean this. This happiness; this friendliness. It's like old times and I'd like to just accept it and move on, but we both know that we've been through too much to just let things slide back like that."

He paused and reluctantly nodded. "I know. I get it, Chloe, really," He ran a hand through thick black locks and turned his gaze back to the sky. "But you told me once that I could do a lot of good with my powers. I lost it for a while, and so did you. Oliver, Victor, Bart, Dinah... They've vanished and I know that we're all lost right now, but I genuinely believe that we can find them."

Her breathe hitched as she caught his inflection. ""We?"" She asked meekly.

He turned back to her, form glowing almost radiantly in the morning sun. "I won't leave you alone again, Chloe. I swear. We'll find them somehow; no matter how long it takes to convince them to come back."

"I-" She numbly stood there, timidly looking up at him. "Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that."

* * *

For days they searched for the others, fixing up the Watchtower and moving everything she owned into the massive loft-like apartment.

Chloe was typing away at her keyboard when a deviation from the norm finally occurred and she received a visit.

A click at the front door signified his entrance and she stood, making her way to the stairs and pausing. The figure below was enshrouded in darkness, however she relaxed slightly when she finally saw his face. "Doctor Hamilton?" She asked, surprised.

The older man looked up from his place by the doors, arms burdened by several files. "Hello Chloe."

"Hey," She greeted, offering him a small wave. "What brings you here? Did Ollie send you?"

"No, and you can stop calling him." He pursed his lips and shuffled the contents of the files around, revealing an expensive custom phone that she'd only seen before in one person's hands. Her heart sunk a little and she sighed. "Obviously he's not going to answer."

"Right. I guess it's the hard way then." She murmured, leaning against the railing and tapping at the thin metal.

"Excuse me?" He voiced, and she spun around to her computer, speedily typing away at her latest project.

"Nothing. Just thinking aloud. I don't suppose _you've _seen any of the others recently, have you?" She queried, raising an eyebrow.

"No." His answer was brisk and she slumped into her chair, flicking off the computer as he made his way up the stairs.

The scientist's brow furrowed as he saw the blank screen but he seemed to respect her privacy enough that he didn't pry. "You seem to be doing better than I thought you would be."

"I've done my fair share of grieving, doctor Hamilton. I know that focusing on the past won't help in the future. All I can do is learn from my mistakes."

Despite her words she couldn't completely cover the remorse she felt and his eyes softened, a hand lightly patting her on the shoulder. "It's a shame the others couldn't take that same advice."

Chloe stood, deftly brushing off the hand and nodding resolutely to herself. "It's not too late though. I can still-"

"They're gone, Chloe." He shook his head in disapproval. "All you can do is move on."

"They're not gone. They just need someone to talk to them."

He looked as though he was tempted to argue, however either her expression or her tone must have conveyed her stubbornness as he simply ignored them, instead choosing to hand her the files in hand. "Everything I could find on Lois Lane's case file. I thought you could use them."

She'd actually been ready to hack into the hospital files to get to them; however she didn't tell him that, instead choosing to nod in gratitude. "Thank you, doctor."

"You can call me Emil, Ms. Sullivan." He gave her a comforting smile and made his way back down the stairs. "I'll contact you if I find anything else." He promised and she repeated the gesture as he left.

She sighed and pulled the papers from the files, reading over them with a keen gaze. It was this scene that Clark walked in on not even fifteen minutes later.

"Found something?" His voice cut through her thoughts and she leapt almost a foot in the air, wide green eyes finding his face less than a foot from her own.

"Don't do that!" She yelped, hand clutching at her chest. At his abashed expression she calmed herself and handed the files to him, watching as he read through them at a speed that put her to shame in comparison. "You haven't done that in a while."

He grinned at her breathless tone and shrugged. "So you found these online?"

"No, Emil dropped by and gave them to me." The petite blonde stood and stepped around him, stepping down the stairs. "Not that I'm complaining."

He put the files back down and followed after her. "So no new leads, huh?"

"I hadn't finished reading through them, so you'll have to be the judge of that." Despite her words her voice revealed just how hopeless she had honestly been.

He stood there for a moment, seemingly thinking. "We could do with a break." He decided.

Chloe blinked at the non-sequitur, quirking her lips into a half-smile. "What did you have in mind?"

"Dinner."

She blinked once more and gave him a look. "I'm sorry, did you say dinner?"

His shoulders tensed slightly and he turned to her, nodding seriously. "Yeah."

"Sounds like a date." She snarked, tone light yet wary.

"Yeah. I know that we haven't exactly worked out in the past but I think I'd like to give us another shot."

She paused, taking in his serious expression. "I, uh..." She floundered, suddenly feeling like a teenage girl once more. "Okay."

* * *

From then on she was reminded of the old days time and time again. By day they were Clark Kent and Chloe Sullivan who frequented the small deli on fifth avenue and laughed over embarrassing high school memories. By night...

Well, technically speaking it wasn't even night that they persisted with searches and heroics. She shook her head in mild bemusement as he apologized mid-meal on their fourth 'date', quickly standing and handing her the cash for dinner.

She wasn't sorry though. She understood what he was doing and felt pride every time she heard about the exploits of "The Red-Blue Blur".

When he arrived back at the farm that night he found her sitting on his couch beside the fireplace, familiar yellow mug in hand. He blinked and reassessed the merchandise, taking in his symbol emblazoned on the side.

"I thought they'd stopped with that." He groaned, settling in next to her.

The blonde laughed and raised the mug in cheerful salute, taking another sip as she did so. "Right, well maybe they would have if _someone _didn't spend days burning it into everything they saw and touched." She teased.

He chuckled and shook his head. "I confess that it wasn't my brightest move."

He shifted silently for a few seconds, biting his lower lip. Chloe watched in amusement as he awkwardly buzzed in place until finally she couldn't take it anymore. "Okay, what's wrong?" She asked with a light-hearted grin. "Your twitching like I just loaded you up on super-strength coffee mix or injected pure caffeine into your veins. What's up?"

Clark paused, seemingly wrestling with himself for several long, agonizing seconds before; finally, he fell from the couch.

She looked over at him curiously, watching him prop himself on one knee before her. "Clark?"

"I'm really out of my depths here, Chloe. Last time I did this I was nineteen and kind of an idiot but as is I _really _don't know how else to go about this. I want you with me and I've had feelings for you for a while and I know it's only been a couple of weeks but it's actually been years, so..."

"Clark, seriously?" She laughed, trying to usher him from his position on the floor back onto the couch. "Come on, get up. What are you... Doing?" She stared as he pulled a small box from underneath the blue plaid shirt.

"Chloe," He breathed, eyes locked onto her frozen visage. "Will you marry me?"

She stared down at him, stunned. It was insane. They'd been 'dating' for little more than a week, reconciled for less than two, and yet...

She couldn't deny it. The fifteen year-old girl inside crying yes, the young reporter at the Daily Planet that always had to listen to him whine about Lana said yes and deep down, despite everything they'd gone through and all of the baggage she was admittedly still carrying...

She wanted to say yes. So she did.

The bright grin on his face immediately removed the niggling doubts in her mind and she found herself returning the expression, laughing as he swept her into a kiss.

* * *

**Now**

* * *

Clark smirked as he pulled her into his lap, earning a surprised yet ecstatic jolt of laughter from the white-clad blonde.

Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck to prevent herself from falling, gazing up at him unable to believe that she'd actually gotten here. After a year of memory loss, uncertainty, and angst things were finally getting back on track; they'd tracked down most of the league, she'd finally started recovering from her previous nightmares and best of all she was finally with the man she loved.

Blue eyes met bright green and as he swept in for another kiss she ruminated that despite everything they'd been through they had finally gotten out. From now on she wouldn't worry about what lurked around the corner.

Waiting for the next drama to unfold didn't help matters and sometimes you had to let go to find your happiness. She'd waited long enough.

And in the end it was definitely worth the wait.


End file.
